LP SmartSide Siding Found to Be More Impact Damage-Resistant Than Fiber Cement Siding

NASHVILLE, Tenn., April 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Under the Reimbursable Space Act Agreement SAA3-1272, LP Building Products recently asked the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to evaluate the impact damage resistance of engineered wood siding from the LP® SmartSide® brand and fiber cement siding. The evaluation was conducted by NASA Glenn Research Center's Ballistic Impact Laboratory in Cleveland.

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The NASA written evaluation stated, "[T]he impact damage resistance of two commercial housing siding products was evaluated by impacting the siding with a number of items that could be considered potential impact threats. These include golf balls and baseballs, which could accidentally hit the side of a house, as well as marbles and rocks which could be thrown from a lawnmower.

"The damage resistance was evaluated by shooting the four types of projectiles at the siding products, mounted in a typical installation configuration, using a single stage light gas gun.

"Test specimens were made up by mounting the siding on .5-inch thick by 18-inch by 18-inch OSB [oriented strand board] backing and attaching the backing to two 18-inch long pine wall studs ... Three sections of siding were used for each test specimen … and the impact location was in the center of the middle section of siding."

High-speed video cameras were used to measure the speed of the projectiles and to view any visible damage on the edge and front of the specimens.

From the evaluation summary by NASA:

"The projectiles were impacted at speeds within the range of expected impact speeds. The siding products were supported in a configuration representative of a normal installation. Under similar conditions, with all four projectiles more damage was sustained by the fiber cement siding product than the engineered wood siding product."

Again quoting from the evaluation summary by NASA:

"For the baseball projectile, surface scans were not conducted due to the extensive damage to the fiber cement siding samples. Tests LVG733 and LVG731 were compared visually. The impact velocities were 72.8 mph for the fiber cement siding sample and 77.7 mph for the LP [engineered wood] siding sample. … The fiber cement siding sample sustained a large hole and backside spalling. There was no visual evidence of damage in the LP siding sample."

Ben Skoog, LP SmartSide business marketing manager, said, "In this evaluation, representing normal installation, more damage was sustained by the fiber cement siding than the LP SmartSide engineered wood siding."

For example, in the case of baseball impact tests, the LP SmartSide siding sustained no visible damage while the fiber cement siding sample experienced extensive damage, even though the LP SmartSide siding sample was impacted at a speed nearly 5 mph greater than the fiber cement siding sample.

A link to the full written evaluation can be found at www.lpsmartside.com.

For more information about LP SmartSide trim and siding, call 888.820.0325 or visit www.lpsmartside.com.

About LP Building Products

Louisiana-Pacific Corporation is a leading manufacturer of quality engineered wood building materials including OSB, structural framing products, and exterior siding for use in residential, industrial and light commercial construction. From manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Canada, Chile and Brazil, LP products are sold to builders and homeowners through building materials distributors and dealers and retail home centers. Founded in 1973, LP is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, and traded on the New York Stock Exchange under LPX. For more information, visit www.lpcorp.com.

SOURCE LP(R) SmartSide(R) Trim and Siding